Menu

Know How / Soils

Must reads

Practical advice

See all

DRILLING

Machinery expert's tips on drilling cereals into cover crops

Cover crops have a valuable role in improving soil health, however, dense residues, reduced soil movement and increased pressure from pests like slugs can make autumn cereal establishment more challenging.…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

7 tips to make fertiliser go further this spring

While many farmers have already purchased fertiliser for this season, there will be some who haven’t been able to do that, whether it’s because of storage restrictions, cashflow or other…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Advice on gaining a clear picture of soil nitrogen levels

With some uncertainty about how much residual nitrogen is in soils, growers are being urged to consider getting fields tested ahead of early fertiliser applications.  Hutchinsons fertiliser and crop nutrition specialist Rob Jewers says there are two…

SOILS

Why soil assessment should come before cultivations

Arable farmers face significant cultivation choices this autumn about how much - or indeed whether - to cultivate soils. The dry conditions of 2025 mean that over-working soils could lead…

SOILS

4 ways to solve common soil issues on arable farms

Farmers are often swamped with different soil tests, nutrient analysis and data sets that flag up potential limiting factors on farm. After initial observations, how can these results be effectively…

SOILS

How to make a comprehensive soil profile on-farm

Understanding the health and characteristics of soils by conducting a soil profile helps growers identify key issues, such as compaction, nutrient deficiencies, and drainage problems. It leads to informed decisions…

Case studies

See all

SOILS

Estate reveals award-winning approach to arable and nature

Frampton Court Estate in Gloucestershire won this year’s prestigious Silver Lapwing Award for delivering a diversity of habitats alongside an integrated farming system. Peter Clifford, who took over the business…

SOILS

How nature-friendly practices built farm's climate resilience

Herbal leys, cover crops, contour cropping and 30m buffer areas are at the heart of Rob Atkin’s strategy to improve soil health, manage grassweeds and protect water quality on his…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Regen premium helps West Midlands family battle blackgrass

Regen premiums have given father and son James and Sam Daw the confidence to dedicate one-third of their cropping area to spring crops and tackle a growing grassweed problem. “It…

SOILS

No-till farm evolves to combat frequent flooding

Frequent flooding, poor arable prices and a desire to share knowledge with others is driving on-farm change for Tess Lincoln and her husband Tom. Their Leicestershire farm has a history…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

The farming practices helping create a better food system

Interest in farm practices that improve the nutrient content of food is at an all-time high as consumer focus switches to quality and resilient farming systems. Farmers Weekly spoke to…

SOILS

How project is helping French growers adapt to climate change

Like arable farmers in the UK, growers in central France are counting the high cost of climate change with reduced yields and the greater risk of crop failures. For members…

Insights

See all

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

When should regenerative growers cultivate?

Minimal, or in many cases zero tillage, is a core, often non-negotiable tenet of regenerative farming practices. But growers shouldn’t be overly concerned about using occasional strategic cultivation, according to…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Trial shows value of living mulch in building resilience

A clover understorey is proving its worth in a long-term project by Syngenta at Elveden Estate on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, where its inclusion in a regenerative farming system is improving…

SOILS

Growers share insights on using Johnson-Su compost extracts

Two farmers shared their experience of feeding soils with Johnson-Su compost extracts at the recent Groundswell event, as interest in the technique for giving soil biology a helping hand continues…

SOILS

US research reveals benefits of regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is a proven route for arable farmers to break out of the high-input systems many of them are trapped in, claims a leading US researcher. Speaking at Groundswell…

SOILS

3 technologies to measure soil health and function

While traditional soil testing has focused on chemistry, a growing range of tools are now available to help farmers assess the biological and structural function of soils. Soil health relies…

SOILS

Soil tech solutions target compaction and green farm energy

Two emerging technologies offer a novel way to crack soil compaction and harness electricity generation from soil bacteria. We take a look at how they work. See also: Home-grown pulse incentive…

CROP MANAGEMENT

High crop yields key to gross margins and lower emissions

High yields are often associated with inflated input costs that erode profit and intensive systems which damage the environment, but emerging evidence tells a very different story. Insights from the…

Latest soils news

See all

SOILS

On-farm biochar production a step closer to commercialisation

On-farm biochar production is a step closer to commercialisation after a UK biochar specialist launched an integrated biochar and heat recovery system on a Hampshire farm. Biochar is a charcoal-like…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

New direct drill opener gently cracks calcite layer

A cultivations expert has designed a new low-disturbance direct drill opener that gently cracks the calcite layer, found in some high-calcium soils, that can hinder rooting. At last year's open…

SOILS

Lancs veg grower scoops Soil Farmer of the Year Award

Two to three years of herbal leys gives enough fertility to Chris Molyneux’s south Lancashire soils to grow a string of vegetable crops without nitrogen, helping him to win the…

SOILS

Microbes offer hope against rising soil salinity

Researchers have identified naturally occurring soil bacteria that could help farmers protect crops from increasing soil salinity caused by climate change and rising sea levels. Scientists at the University of…

Video

See all

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Video: UK agroforestry system integrates fruit and arable

First-generation tenant farmer Stephen Briggs planted the UK’s largest agroforestry system, integrating fruit trees and arable cropping to boost land productivity. More than a decade after the 4,500 apple trees…

ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

ARABLE

Video: Grower undersows with clover to cut fertiliser costs

A regenerative farmer is experimenting with white clover understories to reduce his nitrogen fertiliser bills and provide additional grazing for the ewe flock. The price of natural gas, a key…

POTATOES

Video: How a US potato grower is slashing pesticide use

Growing potatoes on a commercial scale with virtually zero synthetic inputs would seem impossible, but this is exactly what one US farmers has achieved using what he calls “biotic farming”,…